European vs American Roulette

The game of roulette comes in two variations; European and American. By far the most popular is the European version. This is because the American roulette table has a single zero and a double zero included on the wheel while the European version only has one zero. This extra zero on the American wheel greatly increases the casinos house edge by almost 50%! The house edge on an American roulette wheel is 5.26%, while the house edge on a European roulette wheel is only 2.7% so if you ever have the option go with the European table.

Another slight variation is that the numbers on American wheel are placed opposite of each other while the European wheel has them placed randomly around the wheel.

It should be known that the majority of US based casinos will offer American and European roulette tables.

Aside from the table differences there are some other differences in how the American and European roulette games are played. US based casinos will typically spin the roulette wheel about 100 times per hour where the European casinos will only spin the wheel about 35 times per hour.

Overall I prefer the table layout of the American table as the red/black and even/odd bet placement is far more practical then the European table. That being said the European table offers far better odds with only a single zero so if you have a choice always play at the European tables.